Hands-on event exposes next generation to trade professions

Yahoo

08-03-2025

The 2025 Blue Collar Tour hits 30 schools across the country in 60 days. Aiming to get high school students interested in blue-collar trades, the tour hit its 25th school, Marysville High School, on Tuesday.
This traveling event gives students a taste of the skill and pride that go into blue-collar work. The Blue Collar Tour shows that choosing a trade is choosing a path to a strong, successful future, according to the tour's website. The event includes hands-on welding demonstrations and giveaways. It's an event that is free for schools; it is put on by the Western Welding Academy, thanks to sponsors.
At the Marysville stop, a booth canopy tent brought by the tour read, 'Forget college debt. Join a trade!' Also signaling a certain confidence, the hype man for the Blue Collar Tour, Quacy Wilson, grabbed students' attention with enthusiasm.
'When I say blue collar, you say tour,' Wilson yelled. 'Blue collar! 'Tour!''
According to Jake Wheeler, Marysville High School welding instructor, about 200 to 250 students attended the Marysville High School event, some of whom were from other schools.
'Sutter, East Nic, Live Oak, Yuba Charter, Nevada Union and Yuba City,' Wheeler said, listing the other schools that had students in attendance.
Wheeler played a role in bringing the tour to Marysville. He encouraged students to apply online and sent an online form to try to attract the opportunity. Students and teachers can request that the tour stop at their school at www.westernweldingacademy.com. For the most part, students in his shop class have some interest in trades.
'My job is to try to get that spark a little bit farther to see if I can get them to really take that career on,' Wheeler said.
Wheeler appreciates seeing the kids figure something out.
'Showing them that they have something inside of them that they didn't know and they're able to actually do something with their hands,' Wheeler said.
Wheeler spoke about the purpose and significance of the occasion.
'Showing the kids that, hey, there's fun things in this trade – get involved and see where it can take you,' Wheeler said. 'If there's money to be made, might as well have you make it.'
Wilson said you can make a good living in a blue-collar world.
'And we need them. We need plumbers. We need machinists. We need carpenters, electricians – all of it, right?' Wilson said. 'Something hits the fan, and something breaks. Who shows up? Blue collar people.'
Wilson and others on the tour demonstrate dedication to this promotion.
'You're on a tour bus with nine other people. Five days a week, you live on the bus,' Wilson, who is from Gillette, Wyoming, said. 'There's no showers. There are no bathrooms – it's a dedication. It's full-time and a commitment, but it's not about us. It's about the next generation. Of teaching them why they need to be getting into this.'
Students have been very receptive.
'They love it. It's cool to see their eyes light up,' Wilson said.
One high school senior at the Marysville stop, Dalton Oilar, said he learned about Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding at the event.
'I've never personally TIG welded, so it's cool to learn about,' Oilar said.
Working on ranches, Oilar said, he'll always have the need for welding stuff.
'Everything breaks, and it's good to know how to weld it back together and fix things so it can save you a lot of money in the long run,' Oilar said.
Next year, Oilar plans to go to Feather River College to study a course of science in equine and ranch management.